Bicycle tracks lead to armed robbery suspect in Forks Township

A masked gunman who held up a Forks Township convenience store early Thursday fled on a bicycle that police said they tracked to his house less than a mile from the store.

Less than 12 hours after the robbery at Chubby's convenience store at 2100 Sullivan Trail, township and state police arrested 22-year-old Tariq Jackson of 2305 Jaime Court. He is in Northampton County Prison under $100,000 bail.

Now that Jackson is in custody, police said they are investigating further to see if he might have been involved in two other recent robberies in the township.

Police allege Jackson used the back door to enter Chubby's just before 5 a.m. Thursday as the clerk was opening the store for the day. Police said Jackson held a handgun on the clerk and forced him to open the cash register and turn over his personal wallet.

Jackson took off on a bicycle with $500, the clerk's credit cards and cigars taken from a shelf near the check-out counter, police said.

Township detectives followed tracks in the ground to help them locate the bicycle to the rear of 2305 Jaime Court.

After reviewing surveillance tapes, police identified Jackson as the suspect and obtained a warrant for his arrest. The warrant was served about 5 p.m. Thursday at which time Jackson was taken into custody. Police said they recovered the clerk's wallet with his credit cards in the home as well as other evidence from the robbery.

Police said the store's surveillance tapes showed Jackson had entered the store the previous evening as customer but wearing the same clothing he wore during the robbery. Police said he also wore the same ski hat, but the first time he didn't pull the mask down over his face.

Jackson was charged with robbery, simple assault, reckless endangerment of another person and two weapon offenses.